CCT356-+Online+Advertising+Critique



===**Lyson Online Ads ** ===

I was on my way to watch the next episode of Glee when all of a sudden I was disrupted by an instrumental and then a man talking. Oh great, another virus I thought when I couldn’t identify where the noise was playing from. I closed all of my windows and it finally stopped. I pinpointed the problem and labeled it an annoying online advertisement. Since I had no choice but to listen to the ad one more time when I got back on [|http://www.sidereel.com] –I found these online Lysol ads to employ techniques that one should refrain from in an advertising campaign. media type="youtube" key="vfgHqDYP13Q" width="297" height="272"media type="youtube" key="jLdgMBWhZxY" width="296" height="272" align="right"

In this specific example, Lysol is advertising their newest product called the No Touch Hand Soap System. This product has motion sensor technology to help eliminate germs and the spread of bacteria. Their main focus is on mothers who care for their children’s health. The ad has received a lot of negative feedback and has even granted itself a spot on the ‘commercials I hate’ forum. However, the negative comments are just coming from people who are irritated by the thought that no matter what you do, bacteria will find a way to your hands. One particular user commented on YouTube saying, “Amazing, so they use the soap, kill the germs, rinse the﻿ soap off and....use their mind to﻿ turn off the tap?” It’s a valid argument; however, the product works really well with Lysol’s Mission of health campaign. They are trying to make a difference in people’s homes where motion sensor technology is usually not found. Lysol’s latest ad campaign is called ‘Mission for Health’. Lysol believes their product is necessary for people to live a happy and healthy life. This campaign has three specific target audiences. In mostly all of Lysol’s commercials, women—mothers in particular are portrayed using their product. Their website offers special mom programs and ‘health tips for mom and baby’. Their 2nd target audiences are schools. They believe that children can improve school attendance by improving their health habits. The 3rd target audiences are third world countries who are surviving disastrous conditions. Lysol promises to provide their products as aids to families and children since health is a major concern for them (Benickiser). Since advertising is a supply and demand procedure, they create consumer demand by portraying Lysol products as essential for new moms or parents with children. As of late, their mission statement has become to promote a healthy life style (Stokes, 5). They say, “We do more not just because we can, but because we must.” Although I am not a fan of their method of displaying their advertisement—using banners that uncontrollably become active and can cause viewers to be in embarrassing situations; I am impressed by their campaign and the initiative they are taking (Stokes 5). In my opinion, online advertisements such as the one on the Side Reel website, aren’t the best platform for these advertisements to be viewed. The viewers initial reaction is to somehow close the advertisement and stop the noise. I think Lysol should continue to use TV as their main source of gaining publicity—TV viewers probably comprise the majority of their target audience anyway. As long as they create ads that are non-invasive they can continue to be one of the most trusted companies when it comes to cleaning brands (Benckiser). Lysol is doing their best to make hand washing seem fun, attractive and appealing for kids. Hand pump manufacturers everywhere…beware.

Works Cited Benckiser, Rick. "| Mission For Health." //LYSOL//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. . "Best of the Best: Viralocity." //Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) | Knowledge, Community, Advocacy//. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. . "Frito-Lay's Doritos to Continue Strong Online Presence After Test Success ." //Marketing Vox//. N.p., 18 Nov. 2002. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. . Kanji, Karim. "Doritos viral campaign continues ." //TechVibes//. N.p., 12 Mar. 2011. Web. 6 Feb. 2011. . Levinson, Jay. "Guerrilla Marketing." //Official Site of Guerrilla Marketing//. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2011. . Stokes, Rob. //eMarketing: the essential guide to online marketing//. 2nd ed. South Africa: Quirk eMarketing, 2009. Print.